Press Release for Thursday, February 28, 2019

UNF Health Administration Professor Named 2019 Emerging Scholar

Dr. Hanadi Hamadi, a University of North Florida associate professor of health administration in the Brooks College of Health, was named a 2019 Emerging Scholar by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, a magazine focusing on matters of access and opportunity for all in higher education.

Diverse: Issues in Higher Education first published its Emerging Scholars edition in 2002, which recognizes 15 minority scholars from around the country who are making their mark in the academy through teaching, research and service.

“Dr. Hamadi is extremely passionate about educating the next generation of health care leaders. She continuously integrates health administration students with her scholarly and community-based activities to diversify their learning experience,” said Dr. Mei Zhao, chair of the Department of Health Administration. “Her efforts have and will continue to re-shape the health care delivery system.”

The scholars were selected on a number of criteria, including research, educational background, publishing and teaching record, field of study competitiveness and broad impact on the academy.

Hamadi, a Southside resident, joined the UNF faculty in 2014. Some of her current research projects include the impact of smoking policy on patient outcomes and hospital performance; development of an adolescent opioid-specific screening tool; examining the impact of community diversity and hospital factors on opioid-adverse events in Florida; examining the relationships between minority health and trauma center recognition; and identifying system-level intervention to improve birth trauma rates among minority populations.

Hamadi has mentored graduate and undergraduate students who have actively participated with her in several research projects. “I truly believe that this integration has broken down the silos students perceive themselves in. They see their academic life a part of the UNF community and their personal life as part of the broader Jacksonville community,” she said. “My research, and their involvement and contribution, focuses on helping them merge those two aspects.”

She has won several awards, including the 2019 UNF Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award and the UNF Scholars Transforming Academic Research Symposium Award, to name a few, and has numerous peer-reviewed publications that represent her dedication to health care research and education.

Outside of teaching and conducting research, Hamadi is involved in academic, international, community and other forms of civic engagement, such as serving as a volunteer at a local women’s domestic violence shelter.

She earned her doctorate from the University of South Carolina in health services policy and management with a concentration in health policy. Hamadi received her master’s degree in health system management from George Mason University as well as a bachelor’s degree in biology.

UNF, a nationally ranked university located on an environmentally beautiful campus, offers students who are dedicated to enriching the lives of others the opportunity to build their own futures through a well-rounded education.